Ramkumar Ramanathan, on Tuesday, qualified for the main draw of the New York Open ATP 250 series tournament with a three-set win over USA’s Tim Smyczek.
After breezing through the first set, which he won 6-3, Ramkumar stumbled in the second. Smyczek upped his game and broke Ramkumar’s serve to win the set 6-3. In the deciding set – the most intense of the three – the Indian held his nerve to win it 7-5 and book his place in the main draw.
Ramkumar will face Taiwan’s Jason Jung in the round of 32. And, if he manages to win that contest, he would be up against upcoming sensation Frances Tiafoe in the pre-quarterfinal.
At the ATP Bangkok Challenger, it was a disappointing day for the Indian players.
USA’s JC Aragone, unseeded, stunned top seed Prajnesh Gunneswaran in straight sets in the first round.
The Indian, who recently broke into the top-100 of the ATP rankings, went down 3-6, 1-6.
His compatriot, Sasi Kumar Mukund, lost 1-6, 1-6 to South Korea’s Kwon Soon-woo in the first round as well.
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